Search

Home » Population & labour » Longitudinal household survey

Our Research

Longitudinal household survey

Over the last twenty years, longitudinal household panel surveys have become essential elements of the social science infrastructure in Europe, the UK, North America, Asia and Australia. They shed new light on a wide range of social and economic phenomena and their effects on wellbeing. They also offer data that can be used to evaluate policy. Currently, no such survey exists in New Zealand, although Statistics New Zealand administered the Survey of Family, Income and Employment (SoFIE) from 2002–2010.

Motu Senior Fellow Dave Maré is investigating options for a new Longitudinal Household Survey (LHS) in New Zealand. Such a survey would make a valuable contribution to New Zealand’s social science infrastructure. 

In late 2012, Dave circulated a discussion paper prepared with independent consultant Ron Crawford, and ran a half-day workshop requesting feedback around establishing a new LHS. That feedback was used by Dave and Ron to complete a Motu Working Paper.

Later, a half-day workshop was held in Wellington on 20 August 2012. At the workshop, Dave Maré provided an overview of the issues and options and of the feedback received. The workshop also included a presentation by Mark Wooden, the Director of the Australian HILDA study, on Lessons from HILDA, and a Statistics New Zealand presentation on Longitudinal data: Recent Experience and Future Direction by Anton Samoilenko.

Establishing a new LHS for New Zealand would require significant interest and support from the research, policy, and statistical community. Current work under this project evaluates the case for a new LHS and sets out issues and options for its design, governance, and administration. It has been supported by the Motu Foundation, Motu Research, Statistics New Zealand, the Treasury and MBIE through the Department of Labour.

Funders

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment

Publications

Options for a New Longitudinal Housing Survey in New Zealand: Summary of Feedback

Authors: Dave Maré | Ron Crawford

Other

In July 2012, Dave Mare from Motu Research circulated a paper that outlined options for initiating a new longitudinal household survey in New Zealand, and discussed a range of related issues. Feedback was invited from…

Investigation of Options for a New Longitudinal Household Survey: Issues and Options Paper

Authors: Dave Maré | Ron Crawford

Working Paper

We examine arguments for a new Longitudinal Household Survey (LHS) in New Zealand, and design and governance arrangements that would best realise the value of a new LHS. Other instruments such as cohort studies, cross-sectional…

Keeping it Together: Tracking Firms in New Zealand’s Longitudinal Business Database

Author: Richard Fabling

Working Paper

Having good longitudinal identifiers is important in empirical microeconomics, since researchers often need to be able to observe the same unit over time to make causal inferences. However, firm identifiers in Statistics New Zealand's Longitudinal…

Household Wealth and Saving in New Zealand: Evidence from the Longitudinal Survey of Family, Income and Employment

Authors: Trinh Le | Steven Stillman

Working Paper

This paper uses data from the Survey of Family, Income and Employment (SoFIE) to estimate household saving in New Zealand between 2004-2006. Comprehensive data on wealth is collected biannually in SoFIE and we calculate household…
>

Level 1, 97 Cuba Street, PO Box 24390

Wellington 6142, New Zealand

Phone: 64 4 939 4250

Email: info@motu.org.nz